A Whole New World
by MercurialLily
Summary: Ed lands in Munich and meets Alfons. As they get to know each other, the potential for a relationship grows. Eventual Ed/Alfons. Will be rated T-M in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Author: MercurialLily  
>Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist<br>Title:  
>Rating: K+ (for now)<br>Pairing: Ed/Alfons (eventually)

_**A/N:**_ Hello everyone! This is Lily. A little background on this story: It started off with an idea I wrote down about Ed landing in Munich and trying to cope. I expanded on it, and this story is the result. I hereby dedicate this, my first online fanfic, to my friend Alexis. Thanks for encouraging me, dude! :D

Some voices. Footsteps. The sound of wheels on cobblestones. A cat's meow and its feet scampering away. Normal, everyday sounds. In a sense, they were comforting. But...

The loud caw from a crow made Ed's eyes snap open. He realized he was laying on his back on the ground. Slowly, he sat up. His left hand landed in a puddle and he cursed quietly as the water soaked his glove. As he stood up, he dusted off his clothes. He took off his wet glove and wrung it dry.

Ed looked around. He seemed to be in a kind of alley; it wasn't entirely unfamiliar, but something felt different. Cautiously, he exited the alley.

As soon as he stepped onto the street, Ed knew this place wasn't Amestris. In Amestris, the streets were lively and bustling with people. But here, it was quiet, the air filled with a tense haze. These people wore drab, neutral colours, and Ed immediately felt out of place in his red coat.

A young woman walked past him. She glanced at him, made a face, and kept going. Ed stared after her. He thought she looked slightly familiar. Shrugging, he turned in the other direction and started off down the street.

Seconds later he decided he was hungry. Wanting to try his luck, he walked over to the nearest food stall and pointed to a roll of bread. Then he looked at the man behind the counter with an inquisitive look.

"Twelve marks," the man said in a gruff voice.

"Twelve...marks?" Ed asked, somewhat confused. "Last I checked, I only had three hundred cenz."

The man stared at Ed with blank eyes. "Twelve marks," he repeated. "Pay up or leave."

"Can't you just give it to me for free?" Ed slowly reached for the roll, but the man smacked his hand away.

"Get out of here, kid." The man glared. "And take off that coat, you rebel."

With a frown, Ed stepped away from the stand. He was angry, but he was definitely hungrier. Maybe he could find a way to steal something... No, that was illegal. He continued on his way.

After a while, he was still very hungry, but he tried to ignore that. Now he was also tired and more than a little annoyed by people's glances and whispers. Couldn't they understand? All he wanted was food...and to be back in Amestris.

He stopped. Standing a few feet away at a bookstall was someone who looked almost _exactly_ like Al. Granted, this boy's hair was light blonde and he was older, but the resemblance was uncanny. Without thinking, Ed rushed over to the boy. "Al!" he shouted.

The boy looked up. His eyes widened in surprise as Ed hugged him. With a shout, the boy pushed him away. "Who are you?" he asked.

Ed blinked. " Oh... I thought you were my brother for a second... That's all," he said.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not your brother," the boy replied. "I don't have any siblings." He gave Ed a sympathetic look and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Ed followed him. "Can you tell me how I can get home?"

"Where's your home?"

"Amestris. I have to get back," Ed said.

The boy stopped walking. He turned to Ed with a confused face. "There's no such place as Amestris," he stated. "Do you mean America?"

"No. I mean Amestris. I'll show you my passport." Ed dug into his pocket and pulled out his passport. He held it out to the boy.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Look, it's a nice trick, but I'm not falling for it." He eyed Ed's coat suspiciously. "I'm going to leave now-"

"No!" Ed frowned. "Please... Help me. I have no idea where I am, and I'm tired and hungry. But I guess I'll just find someplace to sleep." With a quiet sigh, he turned and slowly walked away.

The boy watched him go. After a while, his guilt took over and he ran after Ed. "Hey! Come back."

Ed glanced over his shoulder as the boy slowed down and approached him. The boy coughed slightly and straightened his jacket. Ed stared at him. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I think we started off on the wrong foot," the boy started. "I'm sorry. I'm just really wary of strangers, and I didn't mean to be rude to you. Let's start over." He held out his hand. "Hi. Nice to meet you. My name is Alfons Heiderich."

Ed stared at Alfons' hand for some time before reaching out and shaking it. "Hi," he said. "I'm Edward Elric. Where are you from? And what is this place?"

"I'm from here. This city is Munich."

"What country is this?" Ed asked. Munich was an odd-sounding name...

Alfons smiled. "Germany. There are a lot of people who say we're a bad country because of the war, but I know that's not true. But what about you? Where are you from?"

"Resembool, Amestris. It's a small town out in the eastern countryside," Ed explained. "But the last place I was in was Central City. That's the capital. And-"

"Is it a real country? I've never heard of it," Alfons said.

"Of course it's real!" Ed insisted. "It's kind of like this country..." He would have gone on, but at that moment his stomach decided to announce its hunger and growled loudly.

"You're hungry, huh?" Alfons said. "Come on. I'll make you something at my place." He started walking, making sure that Ed was following him, and he smiled.

_To be continued_


	2. Chapter 2

Author: MercurialLily  
>Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist<br>Title: A Whole New World, Chapter 2  
>Rating: K+T? (I suck at ratings)  
>Pairings: EdAlfons (eventually)

_**A/N:**_ Here's the second chapter! Please enjoy.

Alfons' apartment was small. The front hall led to the living room and kitchen, and another hallway led to the bedroom. The kitchen table and its chairs seemed old and worn, but Alfons insisted they worked fine. Compared to the couch, they were in great condition. The couch was tiny and tattered, and it didn't even have cushions. Parts of it didn't have fabric, while others were patched up with different kinds of cloth. Ed didn't really mind too much, but Alfons seemed kind of embarrassed.

At present they sat at the table, both with a small plate of meat and potatoes in front of them. Ed was eating quite messily, while Alfons just watched him. Ed was a strange person. On their way to the apartment, he'd gone on about this country of Amestris, talking about his friends and colleagues. He even mentioned alchemy, that mystical science which the ancient Greeks and medieval doctors practised. It was highly unlikely-no, impossible-that a modern society would use it. Was this kid crazy? No, he acted sane enough. Maybe his brain wasn't wired correctly...

"By the way," Ed said, putting his fork down, "how old are you?"

"I'm fifteen," Alfons replied. "My birthday's in September."

"Really? I thought you were older."

Alfons shrugged. "Everyone says that," he said. "I'm used to it. What about you? When's your birthday?"

"February. I'm sixteen," Ed said. "My brother's a year younger." He stopped and looked down. "You look so much like him, it's scary."

"What's your brother like?"

"Well, he's really kind and friendly to everyone. But he's kind of shy, too." Ed smiled slightly. "He always picks up stray cats and wants to keep them. If I didn't tell him to put them back, he'd probably have dozens."

Alfons nodded. "And what's his name?"

"Alphonse. His name's Alphonse. I really miss him."

"Is he back in your country?" Alfons used 'country' facetiously. He still didn't think Amestris was a real place.

Ed bit his lip. "No... He isn't. Before I came here, he...died. It was my fault, I'm sure of it."

"Oh... I'm so sorry," Alfons said. "What about your parents?"

"My dad left when Al and I were little, and my mom died a few years after that." Ed sighed. "Where are your mom and dad?"

"They're dead. I've been an orphan since I was five," Alfons explained. "In order to get food and a place to live, I got a job. It was just a menial factory job, but I was able to sleep there and earn a bit of money." He paused. "When I was ten, I started going to school. Now I have a job designing and building rockets."

"Rockets?" Ed asked curiously. "What are rockets?"

"They're machines that one day might be able to fly into outer space." Alfons had a proud smile on his face. "We just have prototypes right now, but I think we'll get them past the atmosphere in a few years. There's a model in my room that I can show you."

"Yeah, I'd love to see what a rocket looks like," Ed said. "They seem really cool."

"When would you like to see it?"

"Is now a good time?" I mean, we're finished eating, right?" Ed stood up.

Alfons smiled. "Now's a great time." He stood up and started toward his room. Ed followed eagerly.

The bedroom was small and neat. A dresser sat directly across from the door, at the foot of the bed. The bed had a small pillow and simple white sheets. A desk sat against the wall, with papers stacked neatly to one side. It was a nice room.

Alfons walked over to the dresser. He opened a drawer and pulled out a small metal object. He happily showed it to Ed. "See? This is a rocket. I made it myself."

Ed gazed at the model. "It's so cool. You're talented," he said.

"Thanks." Alfons smiled at the rocket, then at Ed. "This is special to me. It reminds me that one day, there will be life-sized rockets in outer space." Looking at the rocket for a final time, Alfons put it back in the drawer. "Oh, by the way, do you want the bed tonight? I'll sleep on the couch."

"What? No." Ed shook his head. "This is your place. You take the bed. I'll take the couch."

"Are you sure? You're my guest."

Ed stepped back. "Take the bed. It's okay," he said. "I'll sleep on the couch. See you in the morning."

"But-"

"Good night." Ed smiled and left the room. Alfons waited for Ed's footsteps to fade before he sat down on his bed. In a sense, he felt good about letting the poor lost kid into his house. He seemed friendly and intelligent, so maybe he'd be easy to live with.

It didn't occur to him at the time-in fact, it wasn't even in his mind at all-that he was almost falling for the mysterious blonde boy.

It was dark when Ed woke up from a nightmare. Naturally, it had been about his mother, but Al had also been in it. They'd been angry with him, blaming him for their deaths. _It's not my fault_, he kept telling himself. _I didn't do anything wrong_. But he was starting to doubt himself. Everything was overwhelming him.

He sat up, holding onto the soft blanket he'd found in the closet. The apartment was chilly, and he was wearing his clothes to keep from getting too cold. The living room was lonely. He was so used to having Al nearby when he slept, and being in this strange place made him feel a little uncomfortable. Then a thought came into his head. Maybe Alfons could help him get back to sleep.

As quietly as he could, Ed got off the couch and padded down the hall toward the bedroom. The door was slightly ajar, and he pushed it open all the way. He stood in the doorway for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room.

Once he could see, he made his way over to the bed. Alfons was sleeping on his side, breathing quietly, curled up under his blanket. Ed looked at him. "Hey," he whispered. "Wake up. I can't sleep." He reached out to shake Alfons.

But Alfons kept sleeping. The best reaction he gave was to roll over and face the wall. His quiet breathing continued.

Ed sighed. Deciding not to try and rouse Alfons further, he quietly laid down on the bed and pulled some of the blanket over himself. Almost immediately, Ed felt safer and more secure than he'd been in a while. He fell asleep very quickly.

_To be continued_

_**A/N:**_Second chapter done! How've you guys liked it so far? Next chapter will be a little more on the romantic side. Stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3

Author: MercurialLily  
>Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist<br>Title: A Whole New World, Chapter 3  
>Rating: M (yeah, the rating's gone up because of language and stuff)<br>Pairing: Ed/Alfons

_**A/N:**_ Bonjour, mes petits croissants! Things start to heat up a bit in this chapter (and Alfons is a little creepy at the start, but we can ignore that, right?). And then shit gets real. Ed is also kind of a jerk, but whatever. I changed the ending several times, and this was the end result. Also. Angst. There is angst. There is much angst. FEAR IT.

Something felt different when Alfons woke up. At first, he couldn't figure out what it was. Then he heard the quiet breathing-the breathing that wasn't his own-and felt the presence of someone beside him. Glancing to his right, he saw a lump underneath the blanket. He took a breath and pulled the blanket away.

Curled up on his side, clutching one of the blanket's corners, was Ed. He seemed to be fast asleep. He looked so innocent and vulnerable, Alfons thought. So helpless... Unsuspecting...

A thought came into Alfons' mind, but he tried to ignore it. _I'll just let him sleep_, he decided, and he tried to get out of bed. However, he realized he couldn't do that without the risk of waking Ed. Alfons sat for a moment, staring at Ed.

His golden blonde hair. His tanned skin (Alfons had never seen anyone with a tan before). His calm, intelligent face. Something about him was captivating. He was a mystery. Slowly, Alfons reached out and touched Ed's cheek.

Ed shifted slightly in his sleep, and Alfons pulled his hand back. _Don't wake up_, he prayed. _Please, don't wake up_... Luckily, Ed kept sleeping. Alfons breathed a sigh of relief.

Still, that thought was in his mind, demanding his attention. Alfons shook his head. _No... I shouldn't have thoughts like that... It's not right._ He continued staring at Ed. Then, his mind abandoning all reason, he acted on his thoughts.

Taking a breath to control his nerves, Alfons gently pressed his lips to Ed's. He felt strangely calm. Despite knowing that this was a sin-and that he could get in severe trouble if anyone found out-he didn't care.

A surprised squeak pulled Alfons from his spell. Opening his eyes, he saw Ed staring at him. Alfons quickly pulled away and moved to the edge of the bed. Neither boy spoke. The silence went on for a long time.

Finally Ed spoke. "So...what the hell were you doing?" he asked quietly.

"I-I don't know," Alfons replied. He bit his lip. "I'm sorry..."

"You're sorry? You're pretty fucked up, if you ask me," Ed said. "What got into your head?"

Alfons shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to see what it would be like. Maybe I am fucked up." He laughed softly. "I really am sorry, Ed." He started to stand.

"Where are you going?"

"Work. I'm going to be late," Alfons said. "I'll see you later."

Ed nodded. "Okay. Have a good day."

With a sigh, Alfons left the room. Ed heard the front door open and close, and he realized that he was now alone in the apartment.

Alfons came home very late. He let himself into the apartment as quietly as possible. Kicking off his shoes and hanging up his coat, he made his way to his room. He opened the door and saw Ed sitting on his bed. Ed waved. "Hey."

Alfons looked at him dully. "I'm tired," he said. "Can you go out to the living room, please?"

"What's wrong?" Ed asked, standing. "Did you have a tough day at work?"

"No. I didn't." Alfons sighed. "Please go, I want to be alone."

"Why? Are you mad at me?" Ed looked at Alfons. "Whatever I did, I'm sorry. Just talk to me."

Alfons shook his head. "It's not you, Ed. It's me," he said. "All day I've been beating myself up because of this morning. I'm an idiot."

"Don't call yourself an idiot," Ed said.

"What else should I call myself?" Alfons sat down on the bed. "I am an idiot."

"Can I ask why you, uh, did what you did?" Ed questioned.

"I don't know, Ed. I don't know. I can't tell you. I don't know."

Ed sat beside Alfons. "Can you try to explain it to me? I'll listen..."

"You wouldn't understand," Alfons said.

"How do you know? I'll try to understand, honest."

Alfons looked at Ed. "I want to tell you," he said. "I do. But-"

"Go on, tell me. I want to hear." Ed smiled. "Please?"

"I-I..." Alfons bit his lip. "I-"

"You...?" Ed gazed at Alfons curiously.

"You won't get mad, right?" Alfons asked.

"Of course not," Ed said."Go on."

Alfons took a shaky breath. "I think... I think I might be in love...with you."

Ed's eyes widened. He might have been on the verge of saying something, but then he shook his head. He stood up and started toward the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Alfons asked."I thought you said you wouldn't be mad..."

Ed glanced over his shoulder. "I was right," he said. "You are fucked up." With that, he left the room.

Alfons was hurt. He looked down and sighed. He'd confessed his feelings, and it had come back to smack him in the face.


End file.
